The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan will host
Richard Leakey of the internationally known Kenyan family of paleoanthropologists at 7 p.m. Wednesday,
April 16, at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center, 1607 Robinson Road.

Leakey will speak on "The Sixth Extinction: The Patterns of
Life and the Future of Humankind."

"I couldn't be more thrilled and am so looking forward to
Mr. Leakey's visit," said Dixie Anderson, executive director of the World
Affairs Council. "It is part of our
educational mission to offer world-class thinkers and their ideas to the entire
western Michigan community. Agree with
him, or not, we promise a provocative and interesting evening."

Leakey, a paleoanthropologist, political adviser and environmentalist, has been a key voice behind wildlife conservation and preservation for
more than 40 years. He was named one of Time magazine's 100 Greatest Minds of the 20th
Century.

Leakey, the son of Louis B. and Mary Leakey, and his family have been
credited with some of the most significant fossil discoveries in history. Leakey's own team discovered the most intact early human
skeleton ever found, nicknamed "Turkana Boy" in 1984.

Leakey entered the
world of politics in 1994, helping to form a political party opposed to Kenya's corrupt government. He was appointed to then President Moi's cabinet,
as director of Kenyan Wildlife Services in an attempt to curtail elephant
poaching.

Leakey is now a professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University
in New York.

Tickets for reserved seats are $20 and may be purchased at worldmichigan.org or by visiting the Aquinas Performing Arts Center Box Office on weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. Parking is free.